Galle Gladiators (Phot credit: LPL)
The much-awaited Lanka Premier League 2023 auction was held at the Shangri La Hotel in Colombo on Wednesday, June 14. Notably, it was the first-ever auction of the T20 extravaganza with its fourth season coming up. A total of 360 players both capped and uncapped went under the hammer out of which 156 were overseas cricketers while 204 domestic players.
Meanwhile, LPL will be played in its original window for the first time since Covid-19 and will take place from July 31 to August 22. The league was founded in 2018 by Sri Lanka Cricket and has five teams contesting for the coveted title. Jaffna Stallions were the champions of the inaugural edition of the tournament as they beat Galle Gladiators by 53 runs in the final.
Jaffna once again clinched the title in the second edition in 2021 after being renamed as ‘Jaffna Kings’ and Galle Gladiators were once again at the receiving end as they got beaten by 23 runs. They completed a hat-trick of titles in the 2022 edition, beating Colombo Stars by two wickets.
The Galle Gladiators, led by Kusal Mendis, finished on the fourth spot in the last edition with four points to their name. They later got eliminated losing against Colombo Stars by seven wickets in the Eliminator. Galle will be contesting in the upcoming edition with a new name ‘Galle Titans’ and will be eager to win the title having failed to do so in the first two attempts.
Galle Titans Final Squad:
Shakib Al Hasan, Dasun Shanaka, Tabraiz Shamsi, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Seekkuge Prasanna, Lahiru Kumara, Lasith Croospulle, Sohan de Livera, Ashan Priyanjan, Ben Cutting, Mohammad Mithun, Minod Bhanuka, Pasindu Sooriyabandara, Shevon Daniel, Mohomed Shiraz, Lahiru Samarakoon, Kasun Rajitha, Akila Dananjaya, Chad Bowes, Tim Siefert, Sonal Dinusha, Avishka Perera, Anuk Fernando, Vishwa Fernando
Galle Titans Pre-Registered Players
ROLE
Bhanuka Rajapaksa
Batter
Dasun Shanaka
ALL Rounder
Tabraiz Shamsi
Left-arm spinner
Shakib Al Hasan
All Rounder
Galle Titans (GT) Team 2023 players list:
ROLE
PRICE
Seekuge Prasanna
All Rounder
$15,000
Lahiru Kumara
Fast Bowler
$40,000
Lasith Croospulle
Opening Batter
$20,000
Sohan de Livera
Wicketkeeper batter
$5,000
Ashan Priyanjan
All Rounder
$20,000
Ben Cutting
All Rounder
$30,000
Mohammad Mithun
Wicket keeper
$20000
Minod Bhanuka
Wicket keeper
$20000
Pasindu Sooriyabandara
Batter
$5000
Shevon Daniel
Batter
$22000
Mohomed Shiraz
Fast Bowler
$5000
Lahiru Samarakoon
All Rounder
$40000
Kasun Rajitha
Fast Bowler
$40000
Akila Dananjaya
Spinner
$11,000
Chad Bowes
Batter
$58,000
Tim Siefert
Wicketkeeper Batter
$30,000
Sonal Dinusha
Spinner
$5000
Avishka Perera
Wicketkeeper Batter
$6000
Anuk Fernando
All Rounder
$5000
Vishwa Fernando
Left-arm seamer
$10000